Riffle



TATES ATENT anion.

FLAVEL SIMONSON, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

RIFFLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,057, dated February21, 1893.

Application filed June 15, 1892. Serial No. 436,779- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FLAVEL SIMONSON, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and in the State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Riffles;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof.

My invention has for its object to improve the method of separating goldor silver, amalgam and quicksilverfrom accompanying baser materialduring the process of washing dirt, sand and vein matter, obtained byvarious well known mining operations, whereby I not only eifect a savingof said minerals and amalgam but also facilitate their amalgamation.

To this end my invention consists in riffles of certain peculiarconstruction hereinafter described with reference to the accompany.- ingdrawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawingsz-Figure 1 represents a plan View of two unitedsluice-boxes provided with riflles according to my invention, Fig. 2, aVertical longitudinal section taken on line 22 of the preceding figure,Fig. 3, a plan view of a portion of a sluice-box of greater capacitythan those shown in the preceding figures, and having a greater numberof riffles distributed over the bottom thereof, and Fig. 4, a like viewillustrating rifties somewhat difierent in the matter of detail fromthose shown in the former figures.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A represents the bottomand B thesides of a sluicebox that is preferably of less width and depth at itslower end the inclination or grade being variable in proportion to thecharacter of the material under treatment and the result to be obtained.The sluice-box is also preferably cast in one piece with a top-plate Gat one or both ends, and in practice the smaller end of one box fits inthe larger end of the other, under the adjacent top plate thereof. Bythis peculiar construction and engagement of the sluice-boxes, it willbe seen that each will, in a measure, support the other, and thus it ispossible, in practice, to place the trestles or other supports of asluice-way at greater intervals apart and thereby lessen the numberordinarily employed, whereby the time and cost necessary to the buildingof the structure are materially lessened. By having the boxes ofcast-metal instead of wood, as is ordinarily the case, a further savingis effected in the construction of a sluice-way, and the latter is moredurable and easier to clean up than those in common use.

All the sluice-boxes herein shown have their bottoms provided atintervals with cup-like depressions D and other depressions or valleys Eleading thereto, the greatest depth of these valleys being the bottomsof the cups. Immediately adjacent to the cups and valleys are bluffs Fthat conform in general contour therewith. The cups, valleys and bluffs,just described, constitute riffles, and in certain forms of the latter Iemployfences G that run along the edges of the valleys opposite thebluffs and partlyencircle the cups, these fences being shown in all butFig. 4 of the drawings.

As a matter of convenience, the riffles may be made integral with castmetal sluice-boxes, or they may be made separate and set in the bottomsof these sluice-boxes or those made from wood, as shown in Fig. 3, andit is to be understood that the metal part A with the riffles may becast independent of the sides B to form a true or false bottom of anotherwise wooden sluice-box, or when made with said sides, the devicethus constituted may serve as a lining for said, wooden sluiceboxes, butin any event there is no departure from the spirit of my invention sofar as concerns the peculiarities of the riffles, the latter necessarilyimplying a suitable base.

In practice, the gold or silver bearing material mixed with Water andquicksilver is run down the sluice-way and the inclination or grade ofthe latter issueh as may be necessary or desirable to obtain the bestresults from the material under treatment. In placer-mining, I proposeto have the riffles of the upper boxes of a sluice-way devoid of thefences G, herein set forth, in order not to obstruct stones or coarsegravel in their flow toward what is generally termed a grizzly,

the latter being a suitable grating that screens the very coarseparticles from the remainder of the material flowing in a sluice. Asshown in Fig. 1, I may also provide the bottom A of the sluice-box withother and more shallow valleys H that extend longitudinally from onefence to another and lead to the valleys 0, previously specified.

The gold or silver, amalgam and quicksilver gravitate to the bottom ofthe sluice and are diverted into the cups D by the valleys E, H, wherethe fine particles remain in constant motion as long as the flowcontinues, this flow being retarded by the bluffs F, whereby eddys areformed and the lighter materials of the tailin gs are forced toward thetop of the current and float along therewith, having been thus separatedfrom the minerals. Thetailingspassriffle afterriffle astheyare carriedalong to be run off at the lower terminus of the sluice, but preciousmetals are caught in said riflles where the eddies are formed by thebluffs. It has been demonstrated in practice that when sufficient wateris used the smaller particles of minerals or concentrates collecting inthe cups D will back up against the adjacent faces I) of the bluffs F,and whirl about with something of a planetary motion, or in other wordsthey have a circular motion in two directions at the same time, that isthey move horizontally in a circle or ellipse, and at the same time rollover and over from the bottom of said cups, the space within which thisaction takes place being of considerably less area than that of the cupsthemselves. The particles of mineral, deposited in the cups being keptin motion, as previously described, the constant rubbing of one againstthe other will insure cohesion and thus the gold or silver, andquicksilver are finally amalgamated or the rich concentrates leftdeposited in the cup-like riffles. The tailings from each cup pass ondown the sluice and the heavier particles, gravitating toward thebotto1n,are deflected and guided to the next cup, in line with theformer, by the intermediate valleys E, H, and thus a gradual depositionand concentration of the precious mineral or the amalgamation thereofwith quicksilver is the result, it being possible by the properinclination of the sluice and sufficient water to have everything washout of the cups except the desired minerals.

The fences G serve to protect the materials caught in the cups from anoverflow from the outside and aid in creating the peculiar motion ofsaid materials, as above described.

Having 110w fully described my invention,

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A riffle comprising a suitable base having a cup-like depressiontherein and avalley that leads from the surface of the base to thebottom of said depression,substantially as set forth.

2. A riffle comprisingasuitablebase,acuplike depression therein, avalleyleading to the depression, and a bluff adjacent to said depression andvalley, substantially as setforth.

3. A riffle comprising a suitable base, a cuplike depression therein,and a fence that partly encircles said depression, substantially as setforth.

4. A riflle comprising a suitable base, a cuplike depression therein, avalley leading to the depression, and a fence that partly surrounds saiddepression, substantially as set forth.

5. A riffle comprising a suitable base, a cuplike depression therein, abluff adjacent to the depression, and a fence that partly surrounds saiddepression in opposition to the bluff, substantially as set forth.

6. A riffle comprising a suitable base, a cuplike depression therein, avalley leading to the depression, a bluff adjacent to said depressionand valley, and a fence that partly surrounds the aforesaid depressionin opposition to the bluff, substantially as set forth.

7. A riffle comprising a suitable base, a cuplike depression therein,adeep valley leading to the bottom of the depression, a bluff adjacent tosaid depression and valley, a fence partly surrounding the aforesaiddepression in opposition to the bluff, and a shallow valley interceptingthe deeper one, substantially as set forth.

8. A sluice-box having the bottom thereof provided at intervals with cupand valley-like depressions, the greatest depth of each valley being atthe bottom of an adjacent cup, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set myhand, atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of VViscousin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

FLAVEL SIMONSON.

Witnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, JOHN E. WILES.

